July 10, 2007
New Bus Service to New York Promises 'Luxury'
There's a new entrant into the crowded East coast cheap bus service market. DC2NY, which launches officially on July 26th, has begun advertising their services by handing out cards and fliers around Chinatown. The new bus line will travel only from D.C. to New York (no stops in Baltimore or Philadelphia), picking up from two stops in D.C. -- one in Dupont Circle and the other at 14th and Eye NW near McPherson Square -- and dropping off outside Penn Station in Manhattan.
Apart from the slightly more central pick-up locations, DC2NY is also billing itself as the "Upscale Bus" with promises of new buses with more comfortable seats than you typically get on a Chinatown bus. Paying an additional $5 round-trip (r/t tickets will cost $40 if booked in advance, $50 if bought at the bus stop) for a newer bus might be worth it, but DC2NY is really trying to sell people on this unique feature: Free wireless Internet on the bus. It sounds too good to be true, and the company is offering a disclaimer which might just mean that it is -- "DC2NY passengers will enjoy complimentary internet service while on-board. However, because of connection issues, this service cannot be guaranteed."
DC2NY is offering a somewhat limited schedule at the beginning, with only one or two departures per day. Still, for only $5 more, seems worth it to at least give the promise of internet access and buses that don't smell like diapers (for now) a shot.
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You can usually get a Delta Shuttle round trip for $130 ($150 with taxes) on the weekends. There really is no better way to get to NYC. The flight takes about 30 minutes and you can board up to 5 minutes before take off. At La Guardia the shuttle has its own seperate terminal so it is possible be dropped off in front of the building, clear security, and be on board in about 5 minutes.
As a seasoned veteran of DC-NYC bus activity, all I have to say is that when it takes 1.5 hours to get from downtown DC to outside the beltway, it doesn't matter whether you are in a new bus or an old one. A bus is a bus and it sucks either way.
"Vamoose" bus line tried charging $5 more. Actually, just charging $5 more attracted a lot of people because they assumed it would be a nicer ride.
If the internet thing actually works, I'm sold. Then again, when you're on the bus for 7 hours on a Friday night, I doubt anyone's laptop battery could last.
You can usually get a Delta Shuttle round trip for $130 ($150 with taxes) on the weekends. There really is no better way to get to NYC.
Which is nearly four times the cost of this bus service, and is more than four times the cost of Vamoose, and requires more advance planning, so what's your point? It's not the same market. If it were a realistic option for everyone there wouldn't be such a competitive market for bus service.
Having a clean bus and a driver who speaks clear English would be a step in the right direction for any DC-NY busline.
Usually I pony up the extra dough and try to catch an early or late evening Amtrak train for $67 each way; it's 3 hours and you arrive in midtown Manhattan.
Diapers? I wish!!! I think the Chinatown bus has a distinct rotting cabbage smell. Although I rather have them drop me off somewhere in lower Manhattan near a subway station than push its way to Penn Station.
An additional disadvantage to flying is that neither city has centrally located airports, naturally. Trains run city center to city center. I'll be interested to hear if this bus venture can remain non-yucky. With 3 in the family, the cost of train tickets adds up for us.
Greyhound currently has a DC-to-NY special for $20 one way and $35 round trip available online. I think some of these are express buses, too. The bus is still the bus, but with Amtrak being $90+ and airfare being that or greater, "get on the bus, Gus."
If I'm buying and headed to NYC on a whim, I usually suck it up and take the bus because it's cheap. Amtrak is way too expensive and usually takes at least as long as the bus, especially when it hits someone like it did the time I was taking it from Boston to Albany, NY. I've had to stand on Amtrak before because there weren't seats to be found. Really, every time I'm going DC to NYC, my father asks why I don't take the train and I have to explain.
For those who have to go to Long Island, an option that hasn't been too bad is flying on Southwest from BWI to Islip. Obviously it's not good for most people going to NYC but when I visit people on Long Island, Islip's usually easy to get to and from and SW sells dirt cheap tickets from time to time (RT flight
Greyhound/Peter Pan offer a good price and the most frequent, and reliable in my experience, service. If you book online 2 hours ahead of time, round trip to NY is $35, or $20 each way. The bus station does suck though.
I'm sorry, I'm sure someone thought this was an important story to break, but that someone must be a slave to the Chinatown bus. Heard of Vamoose? The best part about it is that if you save 4 one way tickets you get a free ride.
I would so much rather take Greyhound than Chinatown, but I won't be traveling up there until later this summer. Will those deals still be in effect? Looks like they're the same exact price as Chinatown/Vamoose.
Agree with Guest 3 that air is a different market than bus. Even if it was the same, the carbon footprint from an airplane ride vs a bus to Manhattan would be offensive.
One drawback to the Peter Pan/Greyhound experience is the the terminals, as Guest 9 pointed out. Also, it can be a scary walk to the nearest Metro (Union Station) from the terminals.
That is one good thing about the Chinatown buses--they arrive and depart around the corner from a Metro (Gallery Place-China Town).
The new bus looks even better, with stops in Dupont, for example.
Most recent guest - Greyhound has had those internet prices for several years, so I would expect them to last through the summer. I always take it because it leaves from bus stations and if there's a problem, I feel like there's an actual company with customer service people who speak English (more or less) backing the bus. Also, they run express between Silver Spring and NYC, which rocks for me.
I'd much rather take a chinatown bus than greyhound. Greyhound is SKETCH. Also, when was the last time you could be boozing it up in NYC all day Sunday then just show up on a whim to the Greyhound station and hop on a bus to DC for $20?
The closest metro to the Greyhound station is NY ave.
Granted its still a bit on the sketch side but its not that far and I personally think there are far more shady characters out and about in chinablock than by the bus station.
~Anonymous Idiot
NY Ave Metro, as I discovered quickly, is closer to Greyhound than Union Station. The walk is a little sketchier, though I experience all kinds of weirdos going down to Union Station as well. The distance differential is marginal but it's a lot easier dealing with the NY Ave station that wrestling through the nonsense at Union.
Chinatown does have a lot more maniacs but it is at least populated by people and police. I feel a little safer there at 1 AM than I would walking to Greyhound.
And what is it about Greyhound stations that attracts bums, beggars, and druggies? When these people ask me for money, do they not realize that if I had extra money to toss around, I might be flying to my destination instead?
My 2 Cents on buses:
Greyhound/ Peter Pan (they share the same schedule and routes, and you cant tell which your taking beforehand) is great because often if a bus fills up, they put you on another one. Also, the routes are pretty frequent, and it's easy to use the ticket anytime if you miss the bus you were aiming for (i know for only chinatown bus reservations they aren't so kind).Also it does not have the reliability issues the chinatown bus has. Drawbacks are that there are routinely no-one itneresting on board.
Chinatown: Centrally located in DC. Cons: Way too many horror stories of like, broken buses. Also the absolute horror of getting on a crowded bus - no line, just chaos and people shoving - it can be an addreniline rush, but it usually is just an un-needed stresser. Pros: It feels kind of interesting, and like, urban adverturism. Also there are frequently interesting folks on board.
I agree that a bus is still a bus, and busses suck, but even if the trip is still long, the productivity afforded by the internet access is a nice thing for a lot of people I bet. Certainly more productive than driving, and you can carry a flask with you!
I think the Chinatown bus has a distinct rotting cabbage smell.
I have yet to ride a Chinatown bus that doesn't smell like tinkle.
Vamoose and Deluxe are okay, but I'll gladly spend more for a bus that promises not to play movies en route.
Two Chinatown bus rides ago, the bus smelled like diapers and vomit. The last time I took a Chinatown bus, I went whiteknuckled holding onto the railing in front of me as I watched the busdriver go in and out of sleep the entire trip. He finally stopped at a reststop for a nap, telling me "I sleep now." He kept the ice cold wind blowing in his face to try and stay awake. Later, almost flipping the bus in the tunnel was enough for me. Greyhound all the way. They are regulated better and have nicer buses anyway.
I think that these "curbside" busses have only a few years left until they are banned. The city's hate them because they are not paying the taxes imposed on carriers that use the terminals (hence why they are not allowed to use Port Authority or the DC Greyhoud station). Then there is the issue of insurance, which some of the less reputable busses don't have enough of, which, coupled with a questionable safety record in the past few years, is enough to get the federal DOT's attention.
I never understand why people take Chinatown. Vamoose and Greyhound are definitely the best, although I should note that I live in Silver Spring, so the fact that Greyhound leaves from there is really convenient (I don't mind hopping over to Tenley or Bethesda for Vamoose, though). Greyhound is cheap and infinitely reliable - in 3 years of traveling, I've never had a particularly smelly or broken-down bus, and they'll always let you take the next bus if you missed yours. One thing I don't get with them though - why it's more expensive to travel between NYC and Silver Spring or New Carrollton than it is to go to DC, when both of those locations are closer. Plus, Greyhound drops you off at Port Authority, so you're already at the subway, and they almost never show movies.
I go to school in Boston, and that deal is even better. $30 roundtrip to NYC, same as Chinatown. Seriously, there is no reason to take that dirty-ass bus line.
I will try the new service - glad it stops in Dupont. All the other options have flaws: Flying is pricey and leaves you far from downtown; Amtrak's poor management leaves it with bad schedules, undependable service and is way overpriced; the Chinatown bus has chaotic loading and undependable drivers; Greyhound has disgusting terminals and iffy passengers. And one time I tried to bring my bike on Greyhound - they didn't have boxes to sell and the loader tried to get me to bribe him to load the bike on. So, you have some shadey characters working there. (The Chinatown bus had a homeless guy hostling for tips for handling your bags.) I just want something clean & easy & dependable! Oh, and cheap. I do not need the internet.
Check out pix of the Chinatown bus: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77945684@N00/545287833/
What a bunch of pussies. Man up and pay your $30-40 round trip to NY. It's the best deal around and no, you aren't riding up in a golden carriage (i mean, i that really what you people want?), but it's fast and, the times i've ridden, very efficient. However, keep in mind that escargot will not be served en route.
With any of the buses, keep your belongings closeby. Especially laptops. My laptop was taken* by one of the staff members (most likely the owner or his son) of one of the companies that Vamoose rents from. The Vamoose staff is cool, but be aware of the people who they and anyone else rents their buses from.
*They claim it was stolen, but in fact, my laptop was in a case within my bag when the driver/bus company had it. When I got my bag, the laptop was not in there.
I'm not sure why anyone would take a Chinatown bus to NY given that Greyhound is the same price AND they have direct buses that leave every half hour. I took the Chinatown buses 8 times (4 round trips) before Greyhound lowered their prices to compete. In those 8 times, the bus was at least a half hour late 4 times and was over an hour and a half late once. They are completely unreliable. Also, if a bus breaks down on the road, you're screwed for a while due to the very few buses they run throughout the day. Yes, the DC Greyhound terminal is in a crappy location that can be sketchy after dark. That is the only downside as far as I'm concerned. Go Chinatown and you can't be sure you'll get to NYC (or get back from NYC) at a reasonable time. The new bus sounds pretty cool, though I imagine it won't be very reliable considering the extremely small number of buses they have (just one or two trips a day?!).
I think people take the Chinatown bus because they somehow perceive it as the "cool" thing to do. Real cool, especially when you're sitting on the corner for over an hour waiting for a bus you paid money for to show up. And of course, there is always the hideous Chinatown bus aroma. Chinatown bus lovers, please continue to use it... Frees up room on the reliable Greyhound buses for me!
Typing from the bus now. I have been really pleased with today's service. The wireless has been uninterrupted, and the owner and the bus driver passed out cold bottles of water and snacks at the beginning of the trip. The bus, which left more or less on time, is brand new, and for the moment, completely clean. Anyway, I am sold and will take it again.
To the guest who took the bus on 7/28/07. How reliable was ticketing ? I purchased 8 seats online with credit card on 7/29/07for 8/2/07. I didn't receive confirmation number and multiple phone calls and e-mails have not been returned. I'm very nervous because my credit card info is floating out there now.
Does anyone know where to buy the tickets and get a schedule? The website doesn't seem to work yet...
Thanks!
Thank you so much 'recyclist'. You've been a tremendous help with that greyhound link with discounts. Saved me some diaper odors haha, keep talking transportation and keep the world in motion. Good night.
I am on the bus right now. I hesitate to give it a huge endorsement, only because all of you will then start riding it and I'll no longer be able to watch YouTube videos while putting my feet up on the seat across from me cuz it'll be too crowded. Whatevs. All aboard! Let's show the free market system we support WiFi on moving vehicles and clean buses.
Not all Chinatown Bus companies are smelly. I know of one brand new bus company that provides superb services and squeaky clean buses. Tony Coach Bus Line is the name and their website is tonycoach.com. The company is brand new and they have two stops in dc (foggy bottom and chinatown). They have on average 6 departures a day. So far my experience with them have been great! And for $20/35(1way/rndtrip), you just can't beat it.